The subject matter disclosed herein relates to determining a critical current density for an interconnect (IC). Specifically, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to a structure and method for determining a critical current density for an interconnect using a single set of experimental data.
As structural dimensions of electronic interconnects have become ever-smaller, many design concerns have arisen, not least of which is controlling current densities carried through these ICs. Where current densities reach a critical level in electronic ICs, failures due to electromigration (EM) are much more likely. However, determining critical current densities in, for example, copper (Cu) interconnects, has been a data-intensive undertaking. Due to variations in Cu cross-sectional areas across lines, large amounts of data are needed to determine critical current densities in Cu interconnects. Multiple sets of data have to be gathered and analyzed to determine critical current densities that may cause EM failure. Generating and analyzing this data is both costly and time consuming.